The Berkeley-based Center for Investigative Reporting was one of several Bay Area nonprofits that received grants from a charity whose funds were managed by Bernard Madoff, who was arrested for running an alleged $50 billion ponzi scheme.

The New York-based Justice, Equality, Human Dignity and Tolerance (JEHT) Foundation provided grants to the center to do stories about human rights.

“Not every foundation supports journalism and they had a real interest in making sure that organizations like CIR, in terms of their role in democracy, succeeded,” the center’s executive director, Robert Rosenthal, told KCBS-AM.